Pinterest Strategies for Travel Advisors with Ana Ruiz – Episode 52

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

I had one of those lightbulb moments recently when I was chatting with the Director of Integrated Marketing at AmaWaterways.

She mentioned something that changed how I think about some marketing channels- Pinterest isn’t social media.

It’s a search engine.

And then, almost like the universe was sending me a message, my friend Ana Ruiz posted about Pinterest strategies, and I knew we needed to talk about this on the podcast.

Pinterest can drive traffic to your travel business without you fighting the algorithm like you do on Instagram or Facebook.

Your pins live for years, not hours, and you don’t need a blog to make it work.

You just need an email list you’re trying to grow and the right branding foundation to make people want to click.

In this conversation with Ana, a travel business coach and consultant who’s been helping travel entrepreneurs build their brands and content strategies, we’re breaking down exactly how to use Pinterest effectively, what foundational pieces you need in place first, and why your branding matters more than you think.

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Pinterest Strategies That Actually Work (And Why I Stopped Using It)

Let me be honest.

I dabbled in Pinterest about a year or two ago and stopped.

Not because it doesn’t work, but because I wasn’t seeing results, while achieving them elsewhere.

That taught me two things: 1- focus on the few strategies that work, and 2- look at your data to see whether you should keep employing a tactic.

After talking with Ana (and Michal), I realized I might have given up too soon, or didn’t have the right foundation in place.

“Pinterest is a search engine,” Ana explained. “Putting pins out there that are going to direct people to our website. It’s a massive resource for getting new eyes into our content.”

The difference between Pinterest and Instagram or Facebook is longevity.

“Your pin lives there for so much longer than any social media post or reel can last. There’s people who can find your pins even years after you’ve posted them.”

You could create a pin today that brings someone to your email list two years from now.

That’s not happening with your Instagram reel.

Most travel advisors get overwhelmed with all the platforms, and Pinterest gets pushed to the back burner.

But if you’re already creating content like blog posts, guides, freebies, Pinterest can amplify that work without requiring you to show up daily like social media demands.

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Pinterest Pinning Strategy: The Foundation You Actually Need

Before we get into the mechanics of pinning, let’s talk about what you need to have in place first, as this is where Ana sees so many travel advisors jump the gun.

You need three things:

• A business account on Pinterest (not a personal one)
• Something to drive traffic to (a landing page, a freebie, a blog post)
• Solid branding that actually represents who you serve

That third one?

That’s the one people skip, and it’s costing them.

During my recent rebrand, I learned this the hard way.

For years, my business was very purple because I love the color purple.

But when I worked with my branding designer and did some inner work on what my brand actually represents, taking care of clients and helping them stand out, I realized my ideal client didn’t need to see purple.

They needed to feel nurtured and supported while also feeling bold and different.

“Your branding is everywhere, and it has to be 100% aligned with the person you’re trying to help,” Ana said. “If you don’t know this, there’s some work there that we have to do.”

She shared a great example from a recent client.

“Her feed initially looked like what we see in most travel business owners- blue oceans, sunsets, blue and white everywhere. But when I asked her what type of trips do you plan, she told me adventurous trips. Super colorful places like Colombia and Morocco. So your content and branding needs to show this. Otherwise you’re not going to attract the fun people.”

I see this disconnect constantly.

I had someone in a recent session tell me they didn’t want nickel and dimers, but they had just posted about a budget cruise line.

How to Get More Pins and Repins on Pinterest: The Technical Stuff

Okay, now that we’ve covered the foundation, let’s talk about the actual mechanics, where things really get interesting.

Keywords Are Everything

Pinterest functions on relevant keywords, just like a search engine.

“Just like when you are using SEO for blog content, Pinterest is major on keywords,” Ana explained. “You want to include text that people are searching for.”

She gave a perfect example: “I have a freebie that’s a blueprint for travel business owners who want to build their email list. So when I put this on Pinterest, I’m going to be writing things like growing your email list, travel advisor; things that my audience is usually looking for.”

Do your keyword research.

Think about what your ideal customers are actually typing into search bars.

If you specialize in retreat planning, use phrases like “how to plan a wellness retreat” or “group retreat destinations.”

These keywords need to be in your pin descriptions and in the text overlay on your graphics.

Pinterest will actually read the text in your images.

“That’s why it’s important for it to be very legible,” Ana said. “Pinterest will promote it more if your image is easy to read.”

You don’t need hashtags, as the platform reads everything- your pin descriptions, your board descriptions, and even the text on your graphics.

Create Multiple Pins Per Post

If you have one blog post or one freebie, you don’t create just one pin, you create multiple.

Ana does 16 pins per piece of content.

“The more you put them out there, the bigger chance more people are going to see it,” she explained. “You can create different graphics with different aesthetics and test them out.”

This is where data comes in.

Create 16 different pins with varied titles, colors, and images.

Watch what performs.

Maybe simple graphics with big, bold letters get more clicks than busy designs.

You won’t know until you test.

Once you create templates, you can reuse them.

“Every time I create something new, I just go to my templates and change the photos, change the text, and I’m ready to go,” Ana said.

Pinterest Algorithm Change and Scheduling Strategy

Don’t post all 16 pins at once.

Use a scheduler like Tailwind, which syncs with your Pinterest account and tracks when your audience is most active.

It suggests optimal posting times throughout the day, and you can schedule weeks or months of pins in advance.

Every time you add a pin to a different board, that counts as an additional pin.

“Let’s say I have 16 pins total, but each of them I’m putting into two boards. That means I have 32 pins,” Ana explained.

Boards are folders where you organize your pins by topic.

You might have a “Travel Advisor Tips” board, a “Luxury Travel” board, a “Group Travel” board, and the same pin can live in multiple boards, reaching different audiences.

Idea Pins Best Practices: What Actually Gets Clicks

Pinterest is incredibly visual.

“Hands down, the big reason why someone is going to click on your pin is because they like the image that you’re using,” Ana told me.

Your pins should be:

• Visually appealing and on-brand
• Easy to read
• Rich in keywords
• Varied in design to test what works

The platform also picks up your pins in Google search results, which means your Pinterest growth strategy supports your overall search engine visibility.

How Often Should You Repin Your Own Content?

Pinterest rewards evergreen content.

“You can repost them again,” Ana said. “I love this about Pinterest. It takes some effort building each one of these graphics, and once you put them out there, they’re basically doing work for you in the long term.”

Unlike Instagram where reposting feels stale, Pinterest lets your content continue driving traffic for months or years.

Pinterest Growth Marketing Meets Email Strategy

Pinterest isn’t just about traffic, but also about building your email list with the right people.

“One of the main things as travel business owners we can be doing is growing and building our email list,” Ana said. “Pinterest can be a great tool to put our freebies out there and direct people who maybe haven’t seen our content before.”

You don’t need a full blog to make Pinterest work.

You need lead magnets, or freebies that solve a specific problem for your ideal client in exchange for their email address.

“We may think you need to be giving out something that someone is going to use to make more money to get emails in exchange,” Ana explained. “But in reality, you can give out anything.”

If you plan luxury trips, create a guide about the most exclusive experiences in one of the destinations you specialize in.

If you’re a group travel expert, create a calendar resource with the planning deadlines for certain tasks with planning a group trip.

These make perfect lead magnets to promote on Pinterest.

The Mini Course Strategy That Actually Works

Ana also shared about mini email courses and how they train your audience to open your emails.

“The great thing about doing a mini email course is that you are already training your audience to open your emails,” she said. “They’re already expecting that you’re going to give them all the content through email, so they’re paying more attention to that first email.”

This solves one of the biggest email marketing problems: getting your emails opened consistently.

When people sign up for a mini course, they actively look for your emails, which trains platforms like Gmail to recognize your messages as wanted content, not spam.

Pinterest Strategy for Business: Aligning Everything That Makes Sense

The conversation with Ana kept coming back to one theme: alignment.

Your Pinterest strategy, your branding, your email marketing, and the travel brands you promote, everything needs to align with who you serve and what you want to be known for.

A Facebook memory popped up recently from 12 years ago when I first started.

It said something like, “If you’re in the market and you need a good travel deal, make sure to email me here.”

Sooooo cringy, but I still see travel advisors posting content like that today.

If you only want to be known for deals, post about deals.

But if you want to be known for your service, your expertise, and your ability to create transformative experiences, then everything needs to reflect that.

Your Pinterest optimization strategy needs to reflect the same brand values, ideal client, and positioning as everything else you’re doing.

If your pins look like everyone else’s, generic beach sunsets and palm trees, you’re not going to attract the clients who resonate with YOUR unique approach to travel planning.

What the Best Pinning Strategy Actually Looks Like

So what does this all look like in practice?

Here’s what Ana does, and what makes sense for most travel business owners:

Create your foundation first. Get clear on who you serve, what makes you different, and what your brand actually represents. Work with a designer if you need to. Do the inner work. 

Build your lead magnet or content. Create something valuable that your ideal client actually wants. It could be a guide, a checklist, a mini course, or a blog post, whatever provides genuine value.

Design your pin graphics. Create 16 variations using templates you can reuse. Make them visually appealing, easy to read, and rich in keywords. Test different styles, colors, and text overlays.

Set up your boards. Create boards that represent different aspects of what your audience searches for. Write keyword-rich descriptions for each board.

Schedule strategically. Use a tool like Tailwind to schedule your pins at optimal times. Spread them out over weeks or months. Add them to multiple relevant boards to maximize reach.

Track your data. Watch what performs. Which graphics get the most clicks? Which keywords drive the most traffic? Double down on what works.

Nurture your email list. Once people land on your list from Pinterest, keep showing up. Send regular emails that provide value. Train them to open and engage with your content.

I know this feels like a lot.

The Pinterest pinning strategy, keyword research, graphic design, email marketing, branding work, it’s a lot of moving pieces.

But here’s the takeaway- you don’t have to do everything.

Remember why I stopped using Pinterest?

I was spreading myself too thin without the right foundation.

Focus on the few strategies that make sense for your business today.

If Pinterest strategies align with how you work and who you serve, invest in them properly.

Build the foundation first.

Create systems that let your pins work for you over time.

And if Pinterest isn’t your platform right now?

That’s okay.

But make sure whatever platforms you use truly reflect who you are and who you serve.

Make sure your branding tells the right story, and that you’re building and email list in ways that feel authentic.

Whether it’s Pinterest or any other marketing tactic, the goal is the same: connect with the right people in a way that feels true to you and your business.

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